The Internet of Things (IoT) usually refers to a network of physical objects. The physical objects often include devices, vehicles, buildings and other items. The physical objects are usually embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. The IoT network is typically distributed and has a hierarchical architecture. In such distributed hierarchical networks, data is typically generated at the edges of the network. In some previously available networks, the data that is generated at an end point of the network is shared with other components of the network. Sharing the data is often problematic because the data is usually private. Moreover, the data is typically generated in real time as a stream. Therefore, the objective of sharing data tends to conflict with the need for privacy.
Some previously available networks anonymize static tables in databases. Moreover, some previously available networks anonymize single data streams. However, the techniques employed by previously available networks are usually not well-suited for high fan-in distributed hierarchical data sources that are typically found in IoT networks. For example, in order to anonymize the data, some previously available networks employ techniques that add extra delays in data emission. As a consequence of employing techniques that introduce extra delays, the data that is shared is often stale and not current. Moreover, in an effort to anonymize the data, some previously available networks employ techniques that lead to significant information loss. As a consequence of employing techniques that lead to significant information loss, the utility of the anonymized data decreases. In other words, when a network component receives the anonymized data the network component is unable to use the data effectively due to the significant information loss.
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